Drug and Sociotherapy in the Aftercare of Schizophrenic PatientsII. Two-Year Relapse Rates

From the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Messrs. Hogarty and Ulrich); the Psychopharmacology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, Md (Drs. Goldberg and Schooler); and the Friends' Medical Science Research Center, Inc, Baltimore (the Collaborative Study Group).

We examined the effects of maintenance chlorpromazine and major role therapy (MRT) in forestalling the relapse of 374 schizophrenic patients recently discharged from the hospital.

Chlorpromazine is significantly more effective than placebo in forestalling relapses (p<.001). By 24 months, 80% of placebo-treated patients have relapsed compared to 48% of those drug-treated. Further, although drug therapy is more effective than placebo in both sexes, the size of the difference is significantly greater for women than men (p<.01). There is no sex difference with placebo treatment.

There is no significant effect of MRT during the entire treatment period. However, MRT does reduce relapses among those who survive in the community for six months after hospital discharge. These results were replicated at three clinics.